... LP, Vinyl record album

... LP, Vinyl record album

The first-known recordings of the young Aerosmith – pulled from the group's own vaults, and issued here for the first time! The sound of the group is already strongly in place, and you'll know some of these cuts from their first studio album – but the versions here have a quality that's even more raw and urgent, and a sound that's pretty darn mindblowing! The material was all recorded in October of 1971, in the group's Boston home turf – and titles include "Reefer Head Woman", "Movin Out", "Major Barbara", "Dream On", "Mama Kin", "Somebody", and "Walkin The Dog". LP, Vinyl record album

Nine incredible albums from the legendary Serge Gainsbourg – all presented together here in a limited box set, with very high quality vinyl, and half-speed mastering that makes the records sound even better than ever before! The set begins with a number of key early albums by Serge – work that shows him emerging from the postwar left bank scene, and working in a mix of jazz and Latin styles, always with the sharp edge, wit, and offbeat approach to material that made his music so great! Next are two records with famous female co-stars – one record that has the lovely Brigitte Bardot working with Serge – getting some fantastic grooves in the process, and also pushing boundaries of sexual liberation in the 60s! That same mode follows in Gainsbourg's famous album with life partner Jane Birkin – barely an adult at the time of recording, but a fantastic muse for Serge's music! The set also features a record exclusive to this set – rare 60s material from singles and soundtracks – featuring some of Gainsbourg's famous cinematic performances! Other albums on the set include Du Chant A La Lune, Serge Gainsbourg No 2, L'Etonnant Serge Gainsbourg, Serge Gainsbourg No 4, Confidentiel, Gainsbourg Percussions, Initials BB, and Jane Birkin & Serge Gainsbourg – and all albums come with their original artwork inside the slipcase! (French, Rock) LP, Vinyl record album

One of the greatest French female singers of the 60s – presented here in a classic collection of work! If you've gotta dig one gal vocalist of the Parisian scene of the time, Gall is definitely your girl – as her brash, bold style of singing really sums up the hippest, grooviest French styles of the time! Many tracks here were penned by some of the best French arrangers and composers of the period – including a fair bit by Serge Gainsbourg, who really helped Gall find her groove, and moved her from being just another girl singer to one of the more powerful 60s voices in French pop! There's even a few funky numbers in the mix, and the rest mostly have a modly snapping 60s groove – of the sort that's being heavily revived these days – and titles include "Pense A Moi", "Laisse Tomber Les Filles", "Attends Ou Va T'En", "Nous Ne Sommes Pas Des Anges", "Poupee De Cire Poupee De Son", "N'Ecoute Pas Les Idoles", "Baby Pop", "Les Sucettes", "Cet Air-La", "Bebe Requin", and "24/36". (French, Rock) LP, Vinyl record album

A really great record from French rocker Johnny Hallyday – a great artist who's really letting his style open up here – recording in London, and using some modes that are a bit funky at times, and also touched with some elements that were coming out of the LA scene at the start of the 70s too! Arrangements are mostly by Mickey Jones and Tommy Brown, who'd done some excellent work with Hallyday on earlier records – and the music is kind of a post-Muscle Shoals/Memphis sound, with lots of soulful piano, bubbling organ riffs, riffing guitar, and backings that are generally more in the soul/rock camp than in Hallyday's earlier pop rock style – all of which seems to really bring out some great qualities in Johnny's vocals too! Titles include "La Joi", "L'Autre Motif", "Flagrant Delit", "Fils De Personne", and "Fille De La Nuit". 2LP set features a full bonus record of unissued material from the original sessions – lots of alternate takes, and the unissued tunes "Waterloo" and "Reste". (French, Rock) LP, Vinyl record album

A really great record from French rocker Johnny Hallyday – a great artist who's really letting his style open up here – recording in London, and using some modes that are a bit funky at times, and also touched with some elements that were coming out of the LA scene at the start of the 70s too! Arrangements are mostly by Mickey Jones and Tommy Brown, who'd done some excellent work with Hallyday on earlier records – and the music is kind of a post-Muscle Shoals/Memphis sound, with lots of soulful piano, bubbling organ riffs, riffing guitar, and backings that are generally more in the soul/rock camp than in Hallyday's earlier pop rock style – all of which seems to really bring out some great qualities in Johnny's vocals too! Titles include "La Joi", "L'Autre Motif", "Flagrant Delit", "Fils De Personne", and "Fille De La Nuit". This totally cool package is filled with great material – a CD and LP version of the original album, then a bonus CD and LP that features a full bonus record of unissued material from the original sessions – lots of alternate takes, and the unissued tunes "Waterloo" and "Reste". Also features a 3rd CD, with a full Paris live show from September of 1971 – and a 4th CD that features another French live show from August of 1971. Also includes a DVD with an interview with Philippe Labro too. Plus, the whole thing comes in a heavy book-style package with a huge 48 page booklet of images and notes! (French, Rock) LP, Vinyl record album

Some of the earliest recordings ever of songs by Elton John & Bernie Taupin – tracks cut at the studios of publisher Dick James Music – the guy who'd soon make enough money from Elton to launch his own record label! The set's almost a lost first album by Elton, as tracks were cut in late 1967 and early 1968 – one never-released track, and lots of early takes on material that would get cut later. The style's a bit different than Elton in later years – still the same soulfulness on vocals, but a bit more psych in the instrumentation – all of which makes for a great "what if?" sort of moment in his early career! Titles include "Tartan Coloured Lady", "When I Was Tealby Abbey", "Sitting Doing Nothing", "Angel Tree", "Regimental Sgt Zippo", "Watching The Planes Go By", "Hourglass", "A Dandelion Dies In The Wind", and "Turn To Me". LP, Vinyl record album

The very first album from long-running Japanese singer Akira Kushida – a set that bursts out with the word "soulful" on the cover, and definitely follows through with its promise! Given that Akira sings in Japanese on many cuts, the sound isn't exactly the same as James Brown on King Records – but it's also clear that Kushida draws plenty of inspiration from American soul, which is also reflected in the arrangements, not just the raspy style that he brings to the lyrics! There's definitely a fair bit of English on the record – and the vibe is maybe a bit like some of the blue-eyed soul styles of the UK mod scene, served up on titles that include "Vecchio Sam", "For The Love Of A Woman", "Cry Like A Baby", "Forgive Me My Love", and "Lonesome Sad & Blue". (Japanese, Rock) LP, Vinyl record album

A really beautiful record from the Japanese electro scene at the start of the 80s – a record that's got some of the catchy synth modes of the period, but which also has a fair bit of other elements going on too! Logic System features keyboards from Hideki Matsutake – best known for his keyboard programming with YMO – and here, his style expands into some wider modes that almost remind us of our favorite French soundtrack styles of the period – slight currents of sentiment, and a richness of expression that goes way past the more familiar simpler forms of the keyboards. There's definitely some catchier tunes too, and the balance is very nice – on a set that's mostly instrumental, save for some occasional vocoded bits. Titles inlcude "Metamorphism", "Equivalent", "Be Yourself", "Prophet", "Morpheus", and "Venus". (Japanese, Rock) LP, Vinyl record album

There's no shrieking going on here, as the music's got this gently groovy style that's warm and wonderful – post-folk, maybe a bit sunshine pop influenced – and coming across as almost like a Japanese attempt to hit some Carpenters territory! The songs are often more sophisticated than pop, and the arrangements by Takahiko Ishikawa are really great – never too commercial, but just the right direction to give the lighter vocals the push that they need – on titles that include "2001 Nen No Boku No Heya", "Tongarashi", "Kujira No Su San Sora Wo Iku", "Suginokiyama", "Oyashirazu", and "Kaeru No Tabi". (Japanese, Rock) LP, Vinyl record album

... LP, Vinyl record album

The sweet image really gets at the wonderful sound of this record – a Japanese pop gem from the end of the 60s, and one that seems to mix together elements of bossa nova and European grooves – all in this way that really fits the way that the male and female vocals come together! The singers unite at points, separate at others – and they sound wonderfully dreamy amidst the well-penned arrangements that make the album a treasure throughout – especially if you dig innocent soft pop, ala Free Design! Lyrics are all in Japanese – and songs translate as "Beautiful Misunderstanding", "A Wonderful Bus Trip", "Suddenly One Day", "Lover's Talk", and "Beautiful Garden In My Memory". (Japanese, Rock) LP, Vinyl record album

A record with a really special sound – Japanese pop moving past some of the more emotive modes used a few years before, and working with a gentle, breezy style that sometimes echoes the best A&M Records styles from the Cali scene of the late 60s! Both singers intertwine in a wonderful way, often harmonizing with a great sense of balance – and the backings are often nicely groovy, with electric bass creating a gentle glide that's mighty nice! The whole thing is well-produced, but also has a laidback vibe that fits the barefoot image on the cover – and titles translate as "Being Astray On The Corner", "Another World For Lovers", "The Day We Lose Our Peace", "Moment By Moment", "A Rose & An Apple", and "Early Days". (Japanese, Rock) LP, Vinyl record album

A really great record from the Japanese scene of the 70s – one that seems to borrow a lot from the French pop styles of the late 60s – as you might guess from the group's name! Toi Et Moi are one guy singer, one gal – blending their Japanese vocals beautifully, with elements that move between lighter bossa elements and some fuller, more upbeat backings – a blend that makes the album a treasure through and through, and which gives it the same ability to transcend the boundaries of language as some of our favorite European work of the time! Lyrics are all in Japanese, and titles translate as "Love Token In A Spring", "June Bride", "Village In The Valley", "Ballad Of Rainbow & Snow", and "Beautiful Summer". (Japanese, Rock) LP, Vinyl record album

A very hip Japanese group from the 70s – one based in Tokyo, but a combo who also featured Japanese/American members too – and who soar out nicely here on one of their best-remembered albums! The set's got this cool, compressed style that's a bit like glam – but it's also never too over the top either, so that there's a hard rock style that dominates many of the tracks, with guitar lines that really benefit a lot from the compression – as do the vocals when they are folded nicely down into the grooves! Lyrics are both in English and Japanese, and titles include "Billy Mars", "Automatic Pilot", "Vacuum Girl", "Scratchin", and "Pontiac Pan". (Japanese, Rock) LP, Vinyl record album

A US 60s issue of early Pye Records material by Donovan, before the Mickie Most years – with titles that include "Universal Soldier", "Colours", "Catch The Wind", "Dona Dona", "Candy Man", "Ballad Of Geraldine", "Jersey Thursday", and "Hey Gyp". LP, Vinyl record album

Hard Meat are a group with a name that's a bit misleading – you might guess some sort of Spinal Tap-ish posturing hard rock act – but instead, these guys have a really moody kind of quality that mixes plenty of acoustic instrumentation in with some more progressive electric passages – all at a level that almost makes you feel like these guys started out as a folk group, but one who wanted to jam a lot more in the end! Guitar and vocals are handled by Mick Dolan – a superb instrumentalist, and a compelling singer – and the other two members of the group include Steve Dolan on bass and Mick Carless on drums and percussion – both players who use acoustic elements as much as their guitarist. The blend almost makes you feel as of Joe Boyd had decided to record a prog album for Island – and titles include "Universal Joint", "Run Shaker Life", "Through A Window", "Yesterday Today Tomorrow", and "Time Shows No Face". LP, Vinyl record album

Rare rock from the Japanese scene of the postwar years – but sounds that definitely have a universal appeal overall! Masaaki Hirao is way more than just a novelty remake of American rockers of the time – as he's got a sharp-edged sound that easily rivals the best we had to offer here in the US – the charm of Elvis, the propulsion of Johnny Burnette, and the offbeat appeal of Buddy Holly! Yet the sounds here are often quite their own thing, too – especially on the Japanese language numbers which make up most of the set, and which have Masaaki stepping away from straight American cover versions, and really doing some great things on his own. The guitar lines are especially great – recorded with brilliant twang and echo that really matches the power of the vocals – and the set features some mighty nice live tracks that are even more biting than the studio material! 10 cuts in all – including "Lawdy Miss Clawdy", "Hoshi Wa Nandemo Shitteiru", "Isuki No Komoriuta Rock", "Crazy Love", "Ooh My Soul", "Jenny Jenny", "Miyo Chan", and "Blue De Memphis". LP, Vinyl record album

A beautiful album of laidback psych from early 70s Brazil – the sort of more personal, more introspective work that some of the artists on the scene were cutting after the more experimental modes of the Tropicalia years! Guilherme Lamounier has a gentle sort of majesty in his music – very much in keeping with his image on the cover – stepping out in a trippier take on singer/songwriter modes, with his own vocals, guitar, and piano as the main focus on the tunes – touched nicely with keyboard work from Wagner Tiso, flute from Oberdan Magalhaes, and guitar from Lanny Gordin – artists used in these very sparing ways to spice up the sound, and give the record a loftier vibe than if Guilherme were just recording on his own. Lyrics are all in Portuguese, but the songs have a very universal appeal – a great sense of structure and building up energy – on titles that include "Freedom", "Mini Neila", "Patricia", "Passam Anos Passam Anas", "Amanha Nao Sei", "Capitao De Papel", and "Ols Telhados Do Mundo". (Brazil, Rock) LP, Vinyl record album

A wild little record from the Korean scene of the 70s – served up by a band of boys (and one gal), but not the sort of boy band that you'd hear in contemporary K-Pop! Instead, there's a heady, growling sort of groove to the whole record – not entirely hard rock, but touched with an understanding of that mode, which is then carried out in varied ways that really make the most of the dramatic vocals in Korean! Lyrics are sometimes very bold, sometime sweeter – and the instrumentation has fuzzy guitars and organ lines that echo some of the Japanese modes of the late 60s, but with some slightly different phrasing. All titles are in Korean, as are the lyrics – but there's a very groovy, universal sort of appeal to the set! LP, Vinyl record album

A masterpiece of electronic work from Ryuichi Sakamoto – and a record that may well be reaching for the universal language promised in the title! The set's not nearly as pop-oriented as some of Sakamoto's other work from the time – mostly instrumental, and with a spirit that's like some of his best soundtrack material, and maybe a bit like some of the other minimalist work coming from Japan during the period – save for the fact that Sakamoto always brings in a bit more, and has some unusual sonic elements that lurk in the background and make for a nice amount of surprises! Titles include "A Carved Stone", "Angelic Penguins", "Rain Song", "Dolphins", "A Wongga Dance Song", "The Dreaming", "A Human Tube", and "Ulu Watu". (Japanese, Rock) LP, Vinyl record album

One of the coolest Korean records you'll ever hope to hear – a set recorded in the mid 70s, but done with the same sort of psychedelic blend of jazz and funk elements you'd hear in Japanese albums from the early part of the decade! These guys use lots of fuzz on their guitars – a tone that's freaky, but a style that's nicely direct – especially when mixed with the strong basslines at the bottom – which almost always set up some sort of groove before the Korean language lyrics come into the mix! Lots of these tunes are the epitome of slow funk at its best – and sound even better with the trippy inflections on guitar, Titles are all in Korean, like the lyrics –and the sound is universally groovy! LP, Vinyl record album

It's easy for Yumi Seino to be a natural woman with backings this great – really jazzy instrumentation that helps set a style that keeps things moving throughout – and which definitely has the record on the more soulful R&B side of the city pop spectrum! Yumi's voice is great – rich and strong, yet never too overly dramatic – just able to convey the right spirit of the lyric, even when the language is Japanese – helping bring a really sort of universal appeal to the record along with the music. Titles include "Caledonia Love Day", "December", "Les Memories D'Un Con", "Tokyo City Nights", "Airport 4:30pm", and "You & I". (Japanese, Rock) LP, Vinyl record album

An electronic pop masterpiece – and the first moment of international exposure for the mighty Yellow Magic Orchestra! Before this set, the trio of Ryuichi Sakamoto, Haruomi Hosono, and Yukihiro Takahashi had already been making plenty of waves on the Japanese music scene – but the record gave them a focused showcase they never had before, and helped set the stage for so much other electronic music in years to come! The tracks are tuneful, but also created from lots of different electronic elements – video game noise, analogue electronics, drum machines, keyboards, and more – mostly wonderfully tuneful instrumentals, which gave the work a very universal appeal. Titles include "Computer Game (Theme From The Circus)", "Computer Game (Theme From The Invader)", "Yellow Magic (Tong Poo)", "Cosmic Surfin", "Firecracker", "Simoon", "La Femme Chinoise", "Bridge Over Troubled Music", and "Mad Pierrot". LP, Vinyl record album